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Judge keeps injunction and orders permits after site walk finds wetlands activity at 570 Morehouse Road
Summary
Following a May 2 site walk that found tree removal and fill within the wetlands buffer at 570 Morehouse Road, the Easton Conservation Commission reclassified earlier warnings as Violation #26‑749 and the judge ordered the owner to apply for an As‑of‑Right determination and After‑the‑Fact permits; the commission set remediation, professional site‑plan and fine‑payment requirements and will revisit the case.
A long‑running enforcement matter involving 570 Morehouse Road dominated the June 23 Easton Conservation Commission meeting. The commission reviewed a multi‑year history of warnings and incomplete submissions related to earthwork and timber removal on the property and voted to reclassify an earlier warning to Violation #26‑749 after a May 2, 2026 site walk found evidence of fill, cut trees and wetland‑edge disturbance.
Chair Dori Wollen and WEO Jeff Borofsky summarized the site‑walk findings, including piles of trees pushed into wetlands and signs of skunk cabbage in disturbed areas. The commission said the owner, David Harding, must submit a professionally prepared site plan showing wetland lines and the upland review area, file both an As‑of‑Right Determination and an After‑the‑Fact permit application, and include a remediation plan prepared by a soil scientist or engineer. The commission also noted an outstanding $1,000 fine tied to prior enforcement actions.
According to the minutes, the First Selectman (through town counsel) informed the commission that the court kept an injunction in place and ordered Mr. Harding to apply for the As‑of‑Right and After‑the‑Fact permits; the judge will revisit the case in 60 days. The commission voted to submit its records to the court in support of the town's enforcement action.
Harding told the commission he would supply a site plan; he previously asserted he had obtained a farm designation and claimed harassment by neighbors and the town. Chair Wollen told the commission that those allegations are outside the Conservation Commission’s authority and reiterated the technical requirements needed to resolve the violation.
The commission made clear that remediation, professional wetland delineation, filing of required applications, and payment of the outstanding fine are prerequisites to lifting the violation. The case will return to the commission and the court for follow up per the judge's schedule.
